1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to elongated cord storage devices and, more particularly, to a cable storage box for a telephone or other communications extension cord.
2. Description of the Related Art
Over the years, there have been many attempts to provide retractable reels for a diverse multitude of applications, and in one particular application, the desirability of a cable storage box for telephone extension cords has been recognized. Various mechanisms and equipment have been proposed to eliminate tangling of telephone cords and the like. Coiled cords are commonly used, however, these cords lose resiliency after prolonged use and fail to retract into compact coils. Even when coiled, the cord can still become entangled with other cords such as computer cords, keyboard cords and the like.
For instance, U.S. Pat. No. 1,276,825, issued on Aug. 27, 1918, to D. Swope discloses a reel disposed within a box wherein a loaded spring is utilized. A cord extends from a signal box, enters the box, and is wrapped around a spindle, and the cord is then wrapped around a reel, exits the box, and is secured to a telephone. Unfortunately, the invention requires a spindle device in which the cord is wrapped in an extended axial direction, greatly increasing the size of the box.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,384,688, issued on May 24, 1983 to J. N. Smith discloses a retractable reel which permits the extension and retraction of a cord through a pair of openings. Smith uses a loaded spring for retracting the cord. Further, Smith provides a ratchet gear having a pawl with an accompanying spring to retain the cord in a selected position of extension. The disadvantage is that the using of the spring and the ratchet gear makes the structure of the reel complicate and difficult to be manufactured, and so the cost of manufacturing is high.
There are some similar products available in the market, but they are all spring driven design, which provides retrieving force and tension to keep RJ11 cable in position.
The present invention is directed to overcoming the above stated problems and accomplishing the stated objects by providing an economical and compact cable storage box.
An object of the present invention is to provide a more economical cable storage box with fewer parts and which may be more easily manufactured.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a cable storage box which can be easily managed manually without using of extra spring.
To achieve the above objects, the present invention provides a cable storage box for a telephone or other communications extension cord which comprises a cover, a reel and a housing. The housing has an opening with a leading edge formed thereon. The leading edge has a taper surface with a retention portion formed thereon for engaging with corresponding jack when the jack is about to be pulled out.